Chlorine and Cologne
by TrixieKrueger
Summary: A series of related one shots based around my headcanon blog post that Eddie should join the school's Swim Club. Explores Peddie in every chapter and how their dynamic works around Eddie participating in the sport. Various ratings K-T. Rating at the top of each chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **Swimming and Surprises  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

"I promised myself a long time ago that I would never fall for a jock, Krueger."

Undeterred the blonde in question held the present he had brought for her higher, sneaking a playful look at her over the top of it, "Good thing I wasn't a jock when we got together then…" His smile was hidden, but the tone of his voice revealed just how happy he was to have corrected her.

She scoffed, eyeing the article he was now swinging from side to side as if that alone was supposed to make it more appealing to her. He had a point—he wasn't, but his excitement was doing little to sway her. If anything, it was downright annoying to her.

"Touché," she sneered. "But I also promised myself I would never be _that _kind of girlfriend."

"_Come on_, it won't be that big of a hit to your 'bad girl' image. _You know you want to_…"

Patricia turned the page of her textbook, not at all interested in taking the bait for this conversation. She had homework to do and now thanks to him, old feelings to bury. The fact that Eddie had just joined a sports team had only reopened old wounds that she could have gone her whole life without thinking of.

Sure she had never dated him, but there was a time when she was younger and dumber that she too had fallen for resident jock Mick Campbell, just like every other girl in school. In her older years she had equated the brief spell of bad judgment to her hormones that had just began to run amuck. But back then, he could do no wrong in her eyes. He was popular and perfect and the only boy she was ever going to like…until it happened.

After one football practice he and his teammates had embarrassed her so badly, although most likely unintentionally, that she had since held a personal grudge against every boy who had even had the desire to try out for a team. She had watched it happen over and over; if the guys weren't pricks when they joined the team, they would be by the time the rest of them got done with them.

"I see those gears turning! Changed your mind yet?" he grinned, pulling her out of her thoughts.

How on earth was she supposed to be happy about this?

"You _seriously_ want to be one of those jerks? They have their own special brand of awful, you know." She flipped another page without even looking at him.

He realized how serious she was about being against this and he lowered his arms in defeat, the smile vanishing from his face.

"Hey, I'm _not_ like that! And since we're keeping score, I never planned to date a loud-mouthed Brit either. Sometimes things just turn out better than they seem to be when you give them a chance. You can't even pretend to be a little bit happy? I thought you'd want to support me, Yacker…"

"I _do_," she sighed upon seeing his frown. "And I guess I will, just…not _that _kind of support."

She wrinkled her nose and he scoffed, "You _guess _you will? Gosh, you're unbelievable sometimes!"

"Oh, what's the big deal? It's just a shirt, Eddie! Lots of people have them just like it; I've seen 'em all over campus!"

He took a few steps back, willing himself not to make this into something worse than it already was. He'd known what he had been getting himself into when he met her; this was just the way she operated. He probably should have known that she wouldn't be into this kind of thing, but the failed attempt hurt him just the same.

"You're right! What _was_ I thinking getting this specially made in black for you? Never mind that it's the _only_ one like it because I knew you'd like this color better. Nope, you're right, Yacker…_total _waste of time and money."

"_Hey_! I never said that!"

"You didn't have to!" he spat throwing the crisp Swim Club t-shirt over her trashcan. "I _guess_ I'll see you later."

He slammed her door shut on his way out of her room and off in the distance she heard Victor scold him for it.

"Ugh, what's _his_ problem?" she sneered, giving the freshly crumpled shirt a deathly glare in his absence.

Her annoyance fell into a frown at the sight of the unfamiliar lettering peeking from its folded material. He hadn't mentioned anything about the back design and she cringed at the possibility that he might've actually expected her to wear Sweetie's name around school.

She tried to ignore the shirt's presence in her room as best she could. For awhile she had even convinced herself that she didn't care enough to find out what was lurking in its fabric. But curiosity had eventually gotten the better of her and she braced herself for whatever disgusting clichéd cutesy saying she was about to unearth.

But to her surprise, as she carefully unfolded the black cotton, there wasn't a couply declaration or nickname, no possessive 'Eddie's Girl', or any of the usual obnoxious phrases people put on shirts like this.

Instead, on the back was one simple word in simple plain white lettering.

Miller.

* * *

**A/N:** _The way I would like to do this is to have each chapter be a separate stand-alone one-shot, but it all happens over the same span of time. So, they won't necessarily go together or continue chapter to chapter or even be in order of events, but they won't conflict within the same universe either._

_Feedback appreciated, will continue if there is enough interest.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**: Massages and Mischief  
**Rating**: K+/T  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything.

* * *

Patricia sat back and observed as Eddie _once again _limped into the common room, sitting gingerly onto the couch opposite to her. His face twisted into pain and he grumbled under his breath as his body lowered to its surface.

One of the biggest meets of the season was fast approaching and practice for Eddie as of late had begun to get intense. Thus far, he had refused her every attempt at assistance, but that didn't exclude her from having to listen to him _whine_ about it every afternoon when he got home. By now, it was yesterday's news to her that every part of his body ached. And while she did feel bad for him, she felt that he only had himself to blame for it. _He_ wanted this. _He _chose to join the club.

"Are you _sure _there's nothing I can do to help? Don't take this the wrong way or anything but… You just look pathetic."

Eddie managed to strain out a small laugh at her bluntness.

"Yep, you always have known how…" He leaned his head back to get more comfortable, gasping out at the sharp pain before relaxing again. "…to boost a guy's self-esteem, Yacker."

"Oh, this is ridiculous," she rolled her eyes and started for the kitchen.

"I'll be _fine_," he called out to her. "Everything will go back to normal once the Wincott Academy meet is over with. We _have _to get a win against them to build on last year's ping pong victory."

Patricia mouthed the words along with him as she made her way back to him. She struggled to hold back a heavy sigh; it wasn't the first time she had heard that in the last few days either. He hadn't admitted to it, but by now she had suspicions that he was doing this just to try and impress his dad. And that suspicion was the _only_ thing keeping her patient through this…

She had been there a time or two with her own parents.

"Here, drink this," she shoved a warm cup over his shoulder without any other explanation.

He took a full swig without question, "_Seriously_, Yacker…tea? Really living up to the stereotype today… How exactly is this supposed to help me?"

"It's relaxing," she defended. "You don't have to be British to know that."

He rolled his eyes as he took another unwanted drag just to humor her but nearly spit it back out when she slid her hands along his tense shoulders, her fingertips leaving a burning trail in their path.

"Mmm! Patricia, ow! Easy, _easy_!"

"Don't be such a baby!"

She massaged back over the same area, applying even more pressure than with the first few passes. Eddie whimpered under her ministrations and could practically feel her eyes roll from behind him.

"_Please _stop _touching_ me, Yacker!"

"Hmm, never expected to hear you say that," she teased ignoring his cries.

"I never thought I'd say it either," he grit through his teeth. "_Ahhh_! Owww!"

Her hands switched positions so that her thumbs were kneading at his tight muscles instead and a victorious grin crept across her lips when he let out the first contented sigh. She took his cup from him and set it aside to work her way down his arms in the same rotation.

He accepted that she knew a thing or two about making him feel better when some of her hair fell in his face allowing him to inhale her familiar mixture of shampoo and perfume. He didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky to be dating this perfect girl leaning over his shoulder with magical hands… Or maybe more specifically… Why he hadn't let her do this sooner.

"How's that feeling for you?" she inquired smugly on her way back up.

"_Perfect_. You were right, Yacker, thank you," he looked up at her with hazy eyes and she placed a kiss against his lips, her voice soft and relaxing when they broke apart.

"I learned it from the best, Neanderthal."

Eddie smirked at her reference to the masquerade ball where he had massaged her hand as she moved around to help pull him from the couch.

"Wait, aren't you going to do the rest for me?"

She brushed off the suggestive tone in his voice, "Nope. _You _are going to go take a hot shower."

His newly limbered arms snaked around her waist, Eddie clinging to her in a pout.

"Pretty please? You're _so_ good at it," he whined against her neck. "Just my back? I won't even ask for anything else if you'll do that."

He sucked a sharp breath through his teeth when she obliged, hitting an extra sore spot between his shoulder blades.

"_See_, that hurts worse. As the first Anubis House sports star in this relationship, I say a shower would help you quite nicely. I was right the last time, wasn't I?"

"Yes, fiiiine," he grumbled, lightly kissing her neck as he pried himself off of her. "I'll go take the shower."

"You won't be sorry, trust me."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved a hand at her as he retreated.

She fought but couldn't resist the urge as she watched his figure stagger away, "Go team!" she cheered, reaching out and slapping him across the butt like she'd seen so many teammates do before.

Eddie howled in pain as she scrambled for the stairs full knowing he wouldn't dare try to tackle those in his current state. She barely heard him emerge from the common room over her own fit of laughter.

"Oh yeah, you're hilarious," he sneered.

"Sorry! I had to do it," she chuckled regaining her composure. "Tell you what: Text me when you've finished and _maybe _I'll come back down and make up for it…"

"You'll finally rub my back?"

Patricia was taken aback that he'd turned her down, hadn't he seen the eyebrow raise? She studied the sadness in his eyes and realized that he must really be feeling worse than she originally thought.

"Yeah, I'll rub your sorry back. But you'll owe me!"

"Deal, baby."

And just as quickly his suggestive smirk was back.

* * *

**A/N**: _Thank you for reviewing so far! There _will_ be actual swimming coming up. Feedback appreciated._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **Buzzers and Bikinis  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

She wasn't quite sure what was lurking on the other side of this door, but it's industrial squeak and accompanying echo did little to make her feel welcomed or at peace. The thousands of bare feet that had walked across this floor in its lifetime—Patricia nearly gagged at the thought.

She had come here for one reason and for one reason only: Eddie was determined to win his next race because she would be there to watch him and his plan to make it happen was to put in extra laps at the pool. And it hadn't been just a normal amount. In just a matter of days, practicing had completely consumed his being.

She watched from the doorway as he torpedoed along under the water, popping to its surface to rake it out of his way in each direction as he bolted across the pool. She couldn't deny that he seemed good at the sport.

When he'd finished, Patricia made her way into the aquatic center leaving it's metal door to clammer shut behind her.

"Looks like instead of dating a fish face I'm dating an actual fish."

He smirked as he hoisted himself up out of the water. Patricia could almost swear that he was moving in slow motion. Beads of water dripped off the tips of his hair and down his torso and his tan arms flexed under his own weight.

The thought would never be uttered but Eddie looked _good _and he wasn't even half way out of the water yet.

A blush crept onto her cheeks as she took in the rest of his physique. She had prepared herself for typical swim trunks but not for this. The shorts he was wearing were _small_ and _tight_. Her captivation only put an extra swagger in his step.

"You're staring, Yacker…_and_ drooling."

He kissed her cheek and picked up his stopwatch.

"You practice in pink…whatever _those _are?" She took the opportunity the question had provided her to get another good look.

"It's a power color thing; all the guys are wearing crazy colors."

"Yeah, about them… You do realize they're not here anymore, right? Practice ended a few hours ago."

"Nothing wrong with putting in a little extra work, Yacker."

He tossed his stopwatch to a dumbfounded Patricia.

"Who _are _you right now?" He rolled his eyes and made his way back towards the water with her at his heels. "And uh, yeah there is; you're going to wear your muscles out before the race!"

"Could you just take a break from staring my body down and time some laps for me?"

She sighed. She had expected this type of reaction and had prepared for it.

"Yeah sure, whatever."

"Thank you!" He threw his hands in the air.

No more than Eddie had taken a dive into the water than Patricia had tossed the stopwatch to the side—she wasn't his little training buddy. She tore her shirt over her head and let her shorts drop to reveal the modest black bikini she had donned before leaving the house. If she couldn't convince him to stop, she would just have to try to distract him from doing any more training.

She crossed her arms and waited at the end of the lane with a smirk on her face.

A short time later she heard the scoreboard buzz once more as he hit the wall. He emerged from the water rubbing at his eyes but she remained silent.

"_So,_ what was my time? Oh sh—" He splashed backward caught off guard by her appearance. His eyes roamed all the way up her body and back down again, Eddie not sure where to focus his eyes first.

"Yacker, y-you own a bikini? I feel like that is something I should've known about sooner…"

"You're drooling," she mocked back at him, settling onto the edge of the pool and sliding her feet into the water out of both of their view.

"Yes. Yes, I am. And I don't care what you're doing that for, it's working."

He wrapped his arms around her legs and closed his eyes as she combed his wet hair out of his face.

"Good! So you're going to come back to the house with me?"

"Huh? No, I didn't say that… I actually wanted to do a few more—"

Patricia slid herself over the edge and into the space between Eddie and the wall, immediately locking her arms around his neck. His efforts to seem unaffected as her bare skin brushed against his bare skin only called his bluff.

"You're just going to have to take me with you then."

This had caught his attention and it was the wrong choice of words on her part. Eddie was never one to back down from a challenge no matter the circumstances. Her eyes widened as an evil grin crossed his face.

"Eddie, _no_!" She wasn't able to escape his grasp even though their bodies glided effortlessly against one another underwater.

"_You ready_?"

"Don't, Slimeball!" She gripped against him tighter.

Eddie flopped backward, Patricia and all, ignoring her cries as he tried to swim them both to the other end of the pool. She held her breath just in time for him to lose his balance and dump them both underwater where they flailed around in a mess of tangled limbs until they found its surface.

He came up laughing, "Well _that_ was an epic fail, huh Yacker?"

She glared at him, her hair suddenly wavy and dripping. The new effect only increased her appeal to him.

"Great! Now I look like a drowned rat!" she huffed more embarrassed than upset.

"That was stupid of me, I'm sorry." He reached out and hooked an arm around her slippery midsection. "And no…you don't. You look _so _hot and I don't remember ever feeling the need to kiss a drowned rat before…"

His smile was infectious and she pecked at his lips repeatedly until he got frustrated. Her teasing resulted in him picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. He crashed his lips down onto hers and just like that with no objection from Patricia, they were making out in the school's pool. Her wet hair clung to both of their faces and this was no doubt the hottest thing they'd done so far.

"See what you're missing when all you do is swim, Krueger?" she breathed having broken their kiss.

"I'm taking notes," he growled before diving back in.

He was more than capable of holding her up on his own and Patricia took advantage of the fact to feel down the abs that had become much more defined through his workouts.

Eddie responded in kind, sliding a hand down to grip her thigh effectively pulling her closer to him. He backed her towards the pool's edge, the pair momentarily losing sight of where they were. She kissed across his jawline and he lost all sense of control crashing Patricia against the wall.

The scoreboard buzzer sounded out above them and they immediately splashed apart. The pair gazed at each other a moment or two before bursting out into laughter.

"Well I guess that's our cue then," she sighed wringing the water from her hair. "Trudy will have supper ready soon anyway. Are you coming?"

"One more lap," he smirked.

"That's not going to make me stay, you know" Patricia warned over her shoulder as she climbed up the pool ladder.

"Fine by me…" he countered, enjoying his view.

She bent to pick up her clothes, the stopwatch's dark contrast against the white flooring catching her eye.

"Tell you what, I'll time this last one for you if you'll promise me to just take whatever place you get next race and stop all this nonsense."

He shrugged, "Okay, deal."

It was Eddie's fastest lap yet.

* * *

**A/N:** _Feedback appreciated. I also posted a Jerome centric one-shot a while back…a little something different from me and not shippy. Please check that out if that sounds like something you might want to read._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**: Firsts and Forgiveness (A follow-up to Chapter 1)  
**Rating**: K  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything.

* * *

_Nerves were gnawing away at his insides; it was here, today was finally the big day. Eddie Miller was moments away from his first official race and the crowd of people in attendance only seemed to look more endless from the second lane._

_He had spent his entire warm-up period scanning over every seat, desperately searching for a familiar face to lock onto. His heart sank a little more each time he had come across a stranger. They were all out of time, especially Eddie and they were no where to be found._

_It was time that he accepted that they really weren't coming._

_All seven of his competitors had already adjusted their goggles and climbed the starting block but Eddie had remained frozen in place still completely dressed in his track suit. He had known that Patricia was going to bail, but he had fully expected his dad to be there if for no other reason than he was the Headmaster._

_"Lane two? Lane two!" a voice from behind caught his attention._

_"Yeah," he tried to shake it off, "I'm sorry?"_

_"Unless you intend on forfeiting this race, I'm going to ask that you please get set."_

_"Oh right, sure," he agreed drably, the excitement for this moment all but sucked out of him._

_He stepped out of his track pants as he tore the zipper of his jacket down. A wolf whistle from the crowd briefly gained his attention, but he didn't find the redhead he had hoped to find on the other end of it._

Whether it was a sudden burst adrenaline or the sinking abandonment that had finally kicked in, something snapped inside Eddie and he was more determined than ever to win this race.

_He didn't need them to be here._

_He had never felt more exposed than he did as he stood on the starting block in front of all those people wearing nothing but a tiny suit and a swim cap. Nevertheless, he pulled his goggles into place and got set._

_The ready horn sounded and Mr. Sweet crowded in between two of his teammates behind the block just as the starting gun fired. Following the almost two minutes it took him to cover his allotted amount of times down the length of the pool and back, the image of his father on the phone was the first thing Eddie saw as he came up for air._

_"Bravo!" Mr. Sweet was waving his phone in one hand and giving a thumbs up on the other. Watching his only son compete for his school was exhilarating and he was unable to contain his excitement. "Well done, Edison! Marvelous job!"_

_Eddie's initial smile at seeing that his dad had made it after all had easily turned to one of embarrassment as he pulled his goggles off and got a full view of his behavior. He tossed a small wave to acknowledge he had seen him and Sweetie went back to his phone call._

_As much as he didn't want to admit it, Eddie still felt as though there was something missing from this moment. And that something happened to have fiery red hair, a loud British yack, and would probably never be around to share this with him.  
_

* * *

Patricia knocked softly on Eddie's door.

"Who is it?" he called from his bed, genuinely not recognizing the pattern of the knock.

"It's me… Can we talk?" that familiar voice muffled through the door.

He reluctantly stepped over but hesitated to open it. "We can talk through the door."

He heard her sigh but she didn't protest; at least she was making an effort.

"I heard you did good in your race and I just wanted to come say congratulations…"

He smiled lightly, "Thanks, but uh, I don't think fourth counts as 'good'…"

"Well at least you weren't last, _Doofus_," she grinned before she caught herself. "Sorry. Guess we're not really doing the names anymore, are we?"

Her muffled voice was met with silence. His fingertips traced around the doorknob but got no farther than that.

"Eddie look, I'm trying here, okay? You know I wouldn't even do that if I didn't care. It's just…I really just needed some time to get used to the idea, that's all. I'm…sorry, okay? My big mouth got me in trouble again."

He jerked the door open to find Patricia's back against the door frame. His eyes were immediately drawn down to the name peeking from behind her red ponytail. His heart swelled ever so slightly.

"Nice shirt," he nodded when she whirled around.

She glanced down at the Swim Club's logo and shrugged slightly in embarrassment, "For good luck. But I should really get going, that's all I came to say…"

"Wait," he reached out to grab her wrist. "Dad told me that it was you on the phone…"

She looked down to his hand and he released his grasp allowing her to pick at her black nail polish.

"I sorta changed my mind and wanted to be there but that was the best I could do…"

A comfortable silence engulfed them for the first time in weeks before Eddie broke it with a grin on his face.

"It's _actually_ a good thing you weren't there… This girl from another school was totally checking me out so you probably would've needed to be escorted out anyways."

"You didn't flirt back did you?" the edge in her voice appeared instantly prompting a laugh from the blonde.

"No. I was too busy worrying about how naked I felt in front of like a thousand people."

This had earned him another glare.

"I'm kidding! I just heard her whistle and I was kinda hoping she was you…" Eddie ducked his head as his words tapered off in a mumble.

Patricia's face softened out before it snapped back into a playful smirk.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Krueger. Like I'd _really _cat call you."

He lifted his head and grinned back at her. It was as if the last week and a half and the t-shirt incident had never happened.

"Careful, Yacker. You haven't seen me in the pool yet…" He shut the door on her leaving Patricia's shocked face on the other side.

Both teens shook their heads and retreated back to their designated spots in the house with smiles on their faces.

* * *

**A/N**: _I just wanted to say thank you to those who read and review every story of mine. I don't want to name any names so I won't leave anyone out. But I see you and I appreciate it, so thank you. And thank you all for following this story. I don't know when the next update will be but I have some ideas in mind. :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:** Chlorine and Cologne  
**Rating:** K+/T  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

Patricia hunched over resting her chin onto her closed fist. Mr. Sweet sat to her right grading through the latest homework assignments for Biology class. She wasn't even interested in sneaking a peek at her grade because her eyes had narrowed onto the bleach blonde a few rows down from where she sat. She watched as the girl would lean over and giggle with her friend every time Eddie would happen to glance what they had thought was her way.

What the girls didn't know was that Eddie was _very_ taken to a _very _hostile girlfriend just up the bleachers behind them.

Eddie shot a quick wink at Patricia as her eyes scanned down to meet his. She immediately heard that obnoxious laughter come from below her and jumped from her seat when he turned his head.

"Conservet vestram tranquillumque, Patricia. Keep your composure," Sweetie warned.

"Oh, come on Mr. Sweet, we're not in school! Why can't I just go 'introduce myself' to them?"

Her fists balled up on her sides but she sat back down on his orders.

"We are at a school function therefore, as a student, you will still be held accountable for your actions. You are a representative of our fine establishment and you are to be on your best behavior. Am I understood?"

"_Yes_," she huffed plopping her chin back onto her fist.

* * *

It had taken _ages_ to get to Eddie's race. Somewhere toward the middle of the second heat she had opted out of paying attention to the pool in favor of playing on her phone. The mindless activity had helped her escape the fact that she hadn't heard a peep from her new 'friends' since Eddie had moved out of their sight to cheer on his teammates.

Her usual pre-race nerves for him had crept in as soon as his division had been called to be on deck. He hadn't seemed to be worried when he reappeared behind the block, but she hadn't gotten a proper chance to look for the arms that moved into her line of sight. The girl had started combing her fingers through her hair and preening herself in a small compact mirror like some sort of a monkey and all of Patricia's nerves vanished in favor of irritation.

The last of the swimmers filed in to end the previous race and this was the part Patricia was dreading the most. She made the executive decision to grip the edge of the bleachers on either side of her knowing that it was time for Eddie to remove his track suit. With all she had witnessed up to this point she knew there was a good possibility that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

It was bad enough that these girls were drooling over her boyfriend right in front of her… It didn't even seem fair to her that now they were going to get to see more of him than she felt they ever deserved to.

Surprisingly enough, the girls kept their comments to themselves and she relaxed a bit. But Eddie made the mistake of wiggling his eyebrows at Patricia in the process of unzipping his jacket and a round of giggling erupted again. She let out a tired groan; it was emotionally exhausting. She knew she shouldn't worry about what they thought. She was after all, the one dating the guy they were fawning over; she was the real winner in this situation.

But maybe it was her insecurities creeping in on her or maybe it was her heightened emotions for this race… She just couldn't help it…Patricia fully regretted the fact that her shirt was back at the house in the wash. It would have been nice just to have some evidence of the fact that these two were encroaching on _her_ territory.

She sighed again.

Not that it would have made any difference to them. Those girls didn't know what Eddie's name was anyway…and they probably didn't even care.

* * *

For a few moments there during the race, Patricia and Mr. Sweet had both completely lost their composure cheering Eddie on. He had pulled just slightly ahead on his last turn and there was a very real chance he could finally win his first race.

Where she had previously jumped up in anger, she and Sweetie had jumped up and down in excitement. She had been whistling and yelling her head off knowing it was all in vain with him under the water but she didn't care at all. She was watching all of his hard work pay off and no one knew better than she did how much it meant to him.

Still in the afterglow of excitement, Patricia currently found herself waiting outside of the locker room, Mr. Sweet having gone on in to congratulate everyone on a great day. She nudged herself off the wall as the door swung open. A few of the other guys filed out first but eventually she spotted the only one that mattered coming from the locker room with his father.

She could tell that Eddie was trying to appear annoyed by all the attention he was receiving but he couldn't hide the smile that kept creeping onto his face. She snapped a picture of the pair with their arms around one another and their heads ducked together into an almost hug. That would make a nice surprise for him if she could keep it a secret long enough.

"Thanks, Dad." Patricia heard him speak up with more sincerity than he used on most days for most people.

Almost immediately she heard a small squeal ruin the moment from somewhere behind her, "_And he's got an accent too_!"

Patricia rolled her eyes. She didn't have to turn around to guess who it was but she shrugged off the comment. Instead of confronting the girls, she put on a big smile for _her _boyfriend that had almost reached her.

"Wait, stop just there! Let me take a photo of you two after the big win!"

The pair exchanged nervous glances but reluctantly slipped tense arms around each other yet again. As far as they knew, this would be their first photo together since Sweetie had left the States. And unfortunately, it would be a stark contrast to all the ones taken prior.

"Aw, nice one!" Patricia beamed as she lowered her camera to take a look at the photo. Eddie smiled at her in what Sweetie found to be an all too familiar way and he took that as his cue to leave them be.

"I'll let you two…chat."

"Dad, wait!" Eddie motioned for Patricia to hand him the camera, "Could you take a picture of us too?"

Sweetie fumbled his way around the technology but managed to get a decent shot.

"Thanks," Eddie down smiled at the screen. "We'll catch up with you?"

"Of course, try not to be too long."

Eddie turned back to Patricia. She broke into a wide smile from where she had positioned herself back up against her wall, "First place! Not bad…for a Slimeball."

Just as the grin found his face he heard an unfamiliar voice from behind him.

"_Ugh, did you _see_ her? He's just trying to be nice to her. She doesn't have a shot with him; just go for it_!"

"Eh, I try. But you know, Yacker… I think there's one more picture we should take before we get into all of that…" Eddie slid himself in front of her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"And what's that?" Patricia grinned as he took her wrists in his hands.

"This…"

He pinned her arms above her head and caught her lips in a slow kiss. Without breaking away from her, he took her camera in one of his hands and secured both of hers with the other. Eddie snapped the picture of them kissing just in time for the bleach blonde girl and her groupie to make their move around the bleachers to him.

Patricia was the first to spot the girls, frozen with matching gaping expressions, "_Oh, hello,_" she greeted to them as sweetly as she could muster.

The man of the hour looked up to see who she was addressing, already having had a good idea of who it was.

"_I know_. That _was_ pretty hot, wasn't it? Want a copy of the picture?" he quirked his eyebrows at them.

"No, we were just…we were looking for someone else…sorry." The girls nearly tripped over themselves trying to leave.

Patricia smirked and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Eddie Miller to the rescue. I've had to listen to those _cows_ drool all over you all afternoon. Can't imagine why they would…"

He rolled his eyes, "Let go, I only got to rinse off. You're going to end up smelling like the pool too."

She shrugged, "That's okay, I've gotten used to it and I quite like smelling of chlorine and cologne…"

He flashed a lopsided grin at her before she crashed her lips back onto his.

* * *

**A/N:** _I've been toying with the idea of trying to do a chapter title for every letter since I haven't done any repeats yet. I think I can do that with the overall storyline I'm writing around even though I'm not going in order. If there are any objections to dragging this on that long please speak up now! Sibuna._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:** Patricia and Promises Broken (A follow-up to Chapter 3)  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

She had hung her head unable to watch his reaction as he took his last lunge toward the wall.

He had torn his goggles and cap off in one swift motion. The items then slammed against the water just as quickly.

Eddie had finished two places worse than his first race, Patricia in attendance and all.

Somehow he had known that he would regret letting her distract him from his extra practice.

* * *

He had ignored Patricia all the way up to Anubis House. She had been pleading for any kind of acknowledgement from him since they met up after the race.

Finally at the front door she groaned, "You promised, Eddie!"

He marched on, letting his duffel bag slam into anything in its path.

"Watch it!" she chided as it rattled all the contents of the small table in the foyer.

"This is all your fault," he grumbled.

"What was that?" she asked, caught off guard that he had actually spoken.

"You heard me, Yacker. I _clearly_ needed those extra laps."

She let out an exasperated sigh, reaching out to clasp his arm.

"Yacker didn't mean to," she had tried to lighten the mood, rubbing her hand along his bicep.

He glared over his shoulder at her before throwing his door open. She allowed his arm to slip through her grasp as he crossed the threshold into his and Fabian's room. Patricia was well on her way in as well when he slammed the door in her face.

She scoffed, strangely amused by the gesture.

"Pfft. Are you _seriously_ going to pout like this? I thought you had more character that, Krueger," she called through the door over a loud thud—presumably his duffel bag hitting the floor. Patricia still couldn't believe he had taken homework with him to do during his free time. What had gotten into him…first incessant practice, now this?

When he continued on with his silent treatment she couldn't help but to fill the conversation's void.

"Whoaaa," she mocked amid the open air as if her housemates were present, loud enough for him to hear, "Everybody _watch out_… Eddie Miller is on a rampage."

Laughter overcame her as he ripped his door back open.

"This isn't a joke to me, Patricia."

"I'm sorry, I just—" she laughed but he cut her off.

"And you can _stop_ giving me advice and telling me what I need to do!"

The increasingly bitter tone of his voice sobered her.

"Eddie, relax. I didn't—" But she caught herself doing it again and ducked away from his glare.

"You've been against this the whole time and you might think it's all just a stupid experiment for me but I _don't_. There is _nothing_ fun about losing. And I know it's hard for you to grasp the thought of actually wanting to win after being on such a sucky _soccer_ team but newsflash, Yacker: That's the whole point of participating."

Something about the way he had emphasized the word soccer had really sent her over the edge this time.

Two could swing below the belt.

"Then it's a good thing I never really cared about that _sucky soccer team_ then, isn't it? Who needs to know the point of playing when you're just trying to impress a guy?"

And with that she turned on her heels, Eddie only briefly in a daze from her confession.

"Wait, _what_?"

It was his turn to chase after her.

"That's right," she called over her shoulder as she climbed the first few steps. "Forget what everyone else has told you about me. You're not the first guy I've ever liked, Miller."

He caught the redhead on the first landing of the staircase and whirled her around to face him.

"Y-you're…" his eyes were wide. "You're bluffing!"

"Does it _look_ like I'm bluffing?" she skipped up a few more steps before he stopped her again.

"Then what's his name, do I know him? Don't tell me he's one of the guys on the swim team, Patricia…"

She paused for a moment, weighing whether to make up a guy or tell him the truth.

"It_ is_ one of them, isn't it?" The color drained from his face. "It all makes so much sense now. Which one? Bobby?"

"No! Paranoid much? He doesn't go here anymore, his name isn't important," she had made her choice, not dropping any of her attitude. Truth it would be. "And well, he was blonde and muscular. He _loved_ to eat… Come to think of it, he had a lot in common with you…maybe _he's_ the only reason why I even lik—"

Eddie caught her in a kiss. It was nothing too over the top, just enough to shut her up. He nudged his forehead to hers when he released her lips.

"He never did that though, did he? You told me that yourself."

"No," she whispered against his mouth.

"And he—" Eddie started before she jerked away.

"Forget about him. He has nothing to do with why I like you, alright; I was just trying to get a rise out of you. Let's…not talk about him anymore."

The sudden change in her expression was not lost on Eddie. She refused to meet his questioning stare.

"Really. You are nothing like him. Just forget I said anything about him…"

She tried to continue up to her room but he wasn't giving up on this conversation that easily.

"Is this…_guy_," he hesitated, really not wanting to acknowledge that anyone else ever held Patricia's affections but him. "Is he… I mean, _was_ he the reason why you wouldn't date jocks?"

"No! Maybe? Okay! Yes, he was," she caved under his unbelieving smirk. "Ugh! Just… He and his friends…they always acted like—"

"Exactly like I've been acting all afternoon?" he finished knowingly and she nodded slightly to confirm. "Well, I'm sorry I broke the promise I made you. It's just… There's a lot depending on me doing well, Yacker. Like _a lot_."

Patricia studied him. He really was nothing like Mick…at least not the Mick she'd known. The reasons she liked him were all uniquely, _Eddie_.

"It's okay. And if it helps, I'll try to stop nagging you about everything. Guess I'm just as competitive as you are."

He smirked, "You think? We nearly _killed_ each other when we met."

She descended the steps until she hit the one above him.

"Yeah, I guess I should've realized back then that you had to have had some jock in you somewhere."

He shrugged, "Well hey, I'm sorry I made you break your promise about that too."

"I'm not. You're pretty okay…for a jock."

"Aww, Yacker…I am touched!" he gave her teasing puppy dog eyes as she moved around him to go back downstairs.

"Tell anyone I said that and I really will kill you, Krueger."

* * *

**A/N:** _Sorry for the delay. Massive writers block. Next chapter should be soon. Are you piecing together the timeline so far?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:** Distracted and Disqualified  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

Chaos of a typical Saturday morning in Anubis House ensued all around Patricia while she sleepily shoveled soggy cereal into her mouth.

Some housemates were heading out to the library; others were off to go shopping. A select few were even trying to make the deadline for a special Saturday detention session—to the surprise of absolutely _no one_ in the house.

But Patricia… She was merely looking forward to a lazy day at home. Eddie had the weekend off from competition and admittedly, after numerous meets in a row she was sick and tired of staring at water and speedos every weekend. The whole ordeal took so long just for a few minutes that featured Eddie.

It wasn't until she neared the end of her bowl that Trudy had joined in on the hustle and bustle of the house, tugging at her jacket and going through a mental checklist.

"Patricia, love?"

The redhead didn't like where this was heading, it was certain to involve some sort of effort.

"Could you be a dear and see to it that Eddie wakes up for some breakfast before too much longer? We need the kitchen to be in top shape for this evening and _well_… You know how Eddie's cooking tends to turn out."

For most that would have seemed like an easy enough request, but _most_ were not familiar with the relationship Eddie had with sleep.

* * *

Patricia shuffled into Eddie and Fabian's room, her loud knocking having gone unanswered.

"Eddie, wakey wakey… Planning on joining the rest of society today?"

"No, _it's Saturday_," he grumped into his pillow.

"Well technically, Saturday is already more than a third of the way over," she chirped back innocently.

He squinted over to his clock and man did she think was he cute.

"It's only _9:45_, Yacker. What are you, the sleep police?"

She grinned when his head hit the pillow hastily, "Sort of. I've been given the oh-so-coveted task of persuading you to get up."

He eyed her through barely cracked open lids.

"You're still in your PJs…why don't you come _persuade_ me over here?"

She crossed her arms suspiciously and he sighed.

"Come over here and I keep talking OR stay over there and I ignore you and go back to sleep. Your choice."

His eyes drifted shut and she sighed. He held the covers up without even needing to hear her verbalize the choice she had made and Patricia climbed in.

"We are in _so_ much trouble if we get caught."

He snaked his arms around her body and she let out a small gasp when he pulled her flush against him. She made it a mental note to not be too weirded out nor flattered; it _was_ after all, still _morning_.

"Then let's not get caught." He buried his face into her hair mumbling, "Goodnight."

"Nuh-uh. This was _not_ part of the deal. You only gave me two options and _this_ wasn't one of them."

"Think of it as a compromise," he yawned.

"_What_? No! How?! You were supposed to let me persuade you."

He nuzzled his nose along her neck as she spoke.

"Then let's hear a good reason why I should get up; I'm pretty cozy right here."

"Uh, you have a paper due in two days that's worth fifty percent of your grade!"

He scoffed, but she admitted that he had a point. The paper in question _was_ for French. It was just a good thing that she saved the big guns for last.

"I'll make you some breakfast? Trudy doesn't want you dirtying up the kitchen anyways…"

He yawned again eliciting a yawn from her.

"_See_, you're cozy too. Why fight it? But since you put it that way, I'll make my own breakfast. What else you got?"

She rolled over to face him, eying his cute sleepy face and flattened down hair. Her last ditch plan was quickly climbing up her list of options for her own benefit.

Patricia abruptly hooked a leg over his hips and his eyes widened. "I can't kiss you if you're asleep. …Or well, I guess I _could_ but it'd be more fun if you weren't…"

"Who am I to question _that_ logic?" he smirked, leaning in to meet her halfway.

Their lips made a distinct smack in the otherwise silent room as they separated.

"Morning," Eddie mumbled happily before leaping out of his bed.

Patricia instantly felt the void stammering, "W-what! Where are you going?!"

"Gotta pee," he shrugged without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

"_Charming_."

"Pfft, a lot more charming than the alternative," he called as he pulled the door shut.

She rolled her eyes as she shimmied down into his bed making herself more comfortable. It was amazing to her just how much different a bed so similar to hers could feel. Of course, _hers_ was lacking the distinct hint of his cologne she was now currently engulfed in.

Patricia sighed… it really was the perfect quiet Saturday.

Eddie hadn't yet returned when his phone began to ring. She let it go to voicemail…she wasn't one of those girlfriends who needed to keep tabs on who Eddie was talking to.

* * *

The ringing invaded the room once more as Eddie looked through his missed calls.

"Just my dad, I can ignore it. _Where were we_?" his voice dipped suddenly.

He crawled back under his covers, settling partially on top of Patricia and attacking her with an onslaught of kisses that she gladly returned. Her heart hammered against her ribcage when he brushed against her confirming that his trip had, in fact, not taken care of his…_problem_.

The slew of text messages that began to flood his phone while they were occupied with one another went both unnoticed and ignored.

Eddie ran his tongue along her bottom lip and she mirrored the motion with an index finger dipping under the elastic of his sweatpants.

"_Hmmph_," he broke away, eyes pleading and voice husky, "Don't start something you can't finish, Yacker."

Her eyes twinkled back dangerously, her voice gravely and strained, "I could ask you the same, Krueger."

He snorted, placing another quick kiss against her lips before trailing down to her neck.

His phone rang _again_ just as Patricia's fingers danced along the hem of his shirt.

Eddie heaved a heavy sigh against her skin whispering, "He's not going to let up until I answer."

She nodded and he reluctantly slid out of bed once more, snatching up his phone and stopping it's never ending ringing.

"Hello?" he tried to keep the irritation free from his voice.

She watched as Eddie swallowed hard and ran a hand down through his hair. He glanced over at her warily before adding a "Yeah, I just got out of bed…"

She tried to hold back laughter as he paused to listen to the voice on the other end.

"_Oh_. Well, maybe if I—"

He closed his eyes as he continued to listen. She combed her fingers through her own hair and tried to rid herself of the rumpled look she had no doubts she now held. Things were starting to sound serious and she knew they wouldn't be picking up where they had left off.

"O-okay. Yeah, me too. Bye."

He heaved another heavy sigh that morphed itself into a growl.

"Everything alright?"

He threw his arms out before dropping them to his sides, "I'm late for the meet today."

"What? No, I checked the schedule last night, there isn't a—"

"Yes there _is_," he interrupted shortly. "It was a rescheduled meet and I completely forgot."

Eddie dropped down onto his bed.

"Well, where is it? Maybe if we hurry…?" she tried to patch the situation.

He shook his head.

"We'd never make it and anyway that was my _dad_ calling to tell me how _disappointed_ he was that I got disqualified." He huffed muttering, "I don't know _why_ I ever thought this would work."

She bit her lip. There was definitely no fixing this one for him.

She _could_ still fix him that breakfast though…and she slipped wordlessly out to do just that.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Another update this week to make up for the gap. Though I'm not yet sure when the next chapter will be. Review maybe?  
_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: **Games and Giggles  
**Rating:** T for Safety.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

From the outside looking in, Eddie and Patricia looked like stereotypical high school sweethearts. They would steal glances at each other and bump joined hands into the other's side as they walked down the hallway together at school. They looked to be smitten and inseparable…the very mushiest of the mushy.

The one problem with any of that was the fact that both Eddie and Patricia couldn't be further from the type.

Everyone in school had started to whisper about what had become of the former boundary pushers… Had Eddie's becoming a jock really mellowed Patricia out enough to take up the typical preppy girlfriend role? Was she a breath or two away from joining the cheer squad just to complete the cliché? Were they trying to be the schools new alpha couple? That sure didn't sound like them…neither were posers. But it's what everyone wanted to know, even some of the teachers. The rumor mill was out of control.

However, none of that was true. Not by a long shot.

What everyone else failed to realize was that these seemingly sickening moments were always prompted by moments of a different sort.

One of the boys would extend a high five to Eddie for helping out the school's sports reputation…a loving glance towards Patricia.

One of girls would look longingly at Eddie before glaring at Patricia…she would smirk up at him. A side bump if the girl scampered away in fear when she'd been caught staring.

It was all a just game to them and their peers the pawns.

Eddie and Patricia were keeping score: Who was Creepy Towers more envious of? Winner at the end of the day gets the prize of their choosing. They'd been at this for weeks now secretly reveling in the attention they were receiving. From invisible to being able to mess with the entire school at one time and it had only taken a handful of swim meets…it was great.

The younger version of this couple would have been furious over all the fakeness that had quickly begun to surround and fawn over them. But the more mature—or maybe not so mature—version, well they found it amusing in a pathetic sort of way. When the game would show signs of getting dull as the day went on they would even kiss and giggle in front of crowds just to stir things back up again.

They hadn't even let Anubis House in on the secret yet. Fabian was just confused and Jerome was nauseated.

If the whole thing wasn't twisted enough, part of what had kept the game running for as long as it had thus far was that they both found it sexy in a way. It was a very public inside joke they were sharing which, on occasion, had paved the way for some very _not_ public 'winnings'. It was that awareness of the possibilities that made it such a turn-on. And they showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Eddie knocked their fists into Patricia's side and whispered in her ear, "That's game. I win again!"

She glanced around making certain the coast was clear before dropping their hands.

"No way! I didn't even _see_ that point!"

He had opened his locker and was already switching his school bag out for his gym bag, "Come on, Yacker. Those last two Seniors were checking you out. Do the math: Jealous of me…two points for each guy…that equals a come from behind victory for Miller." He closed his locker with a shrug and a smirk.

"_What_? No they weren't!" He grinned at the dusting of blush on her cheeks; she still wasn't used to being seen in that kind of light by most of the male population. Why they hadn't ever noticed her before she was _Eddie's Girlfriend_ he still didn't understand. It must have been that they really were all cream-puffs like she'd said.

"They _were_."

Feeling terribly uncomfortable, she tried to direct the attention away from herself, "Most normal boyfriends would be jealous, you know…"

He kissed her cheek, "Oh, I don't like it, but I can't blame 'em now can I?"

It was only if she were to ever return the favor or if the guys got too close that he would really be angry. But neither of those things had much of a chance of coming to fruition.

She huffed, "_Oh, whatever_!"

Eddie slipped passed her and toward the direction of the pool for practice.

"_See ya later, Yacker…_" his voice floated back to her as she headed in the opposite to go back to the house.

She just hoped he would at least collect on something _other_ than a sandwich for the third time that week.

* * *

**A/N: **_Not terribly relevant to the whole plot but I felt like we needed to explore how they would handle the new attention they would get just for the Swim Club's success.  
_

_If you want this story to keep going, please be sure to tell me so or let me know how I'm doing. I do have other chapters planned but if no one is reading, I don't see much of a reason to write them. Sibuna._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: **Appetite and Accents**  
Rating:** T for Safety.  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.**  
**

* * *

"Snack break! I'm starving," he slammed his textbook shut.

"You _just_ ate…" she deadpanned back as he scrambled to put away his collection of study materials. This was getting to be a pretty regular thing for him. In fact, the only reason she still bothered to say anything at all was simply that she had gotten into the habit of doing so.

"But I'm burning all my calories in the pool. _Come on_, take a break and cook with me?"

She scribbled down another answer and then gestured first to her paper and then to the other books scattered about, "I'll pass. And besides…what was your excuse before?"

He gave her a sidelong glance with a smirk, "Have you met my dad?"

"Ahh. Say no more, Weasel."

He studied her as she carried on with her own studies. It's not that he actually needed her help; it's just that with his busy schedule he wanted to spend every moment he could with her. There _had_ to be some way to get her attention.

"_Par-tricia_," he teased, not expecting a response. But her eyes flicked up at the unfamiliarity in the way he drawled her name out how she might have and he continued, "would you fancy grabbing a bite to eat with me?"

He gave a shy grin at the unreadable and intense stare she set on him.

Patricia showed no signs of recovering until Eddie gave her a curious once over.

"I—what did you say?"

He snorted and settled back into his usual dialect, "I _said_, do you want to—"

"No, do it like you did before," her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward setting her pencil in the fold of her book and he smirked.

"_Why_? Does it turn you on when I unleash my British half?"

It was a weird thing for her to grasp really…that Eddie was actually half British. She had no problem accepting Mr. Sweet as his father and she couldn't deny the differences between the two, but his actual make up wasn't something she regularly focused on.

She scoffed, "No. 'Course not, that didn't even sound right. You sounded like a doofus. I just wanted to make fun of you, that's all."

"Mmhmm," he raised an eyebrow trying to bite back a smirk.

* * *

"So what did you call this mess again? And where did you manage to find these cookies?"

"S'mores," was his distracted reply, Eddie watching intently as Patricia licked melted marshmallow from her fingers. "Brought 'em with me…"

Patricia nodded, deliberately taking care of the marshmallow on her other hand as well although her face appeared unaware of his fixation. _Of course_ he brought them with him.

"So how's this weekend looking?"

"Hmm?"

Patricia smirked, wiping the marshmallow remnants on a towel in efforts to gain his attention.

"Your meet?"

"Right, sure. It's looking okay I guess. Coach thinks I should do pretty well against their best man so…"

"I can tell…he's got you on the strict diet of champions this week." His smile matched the one she wore as the edges of her mouth curled up around another bite of graham cracker.

"Easy on my cookie stash, Yacker. Those have to last me until my mom sends more over." He snatched the box away from her.

"She sounded _really_ excited in her Chumchatter status the other day for her wittle 'Eddie Bear'. Think I should take some video to post on her wall?"

To Patricia's delight his face immediately scrunched up, "Yeah…please, _no_."

She laughed, sneaking another graham cracker from the box in his hands.

"Hey!"

"Sorry! I can't help it, they're just so strangely familiar tasting…"

Her eyes glittered mischievously as she destroyed the perfect rectangular shape with her teeth.

"I honestly don't know how you Brits do it, never tasting all of the deliciousness of America."

He almost choked on his bite when she came back with, "Yeah, I don't know how I ever managed either," looking him up and down. Was she making a pass at him? He soon found out when her face switched back to a teasing expression.

"Look, I gotta get back to my homework…blame your dad. My mum will kill me if I fail another test, but thanks for the s'mores. They were awesome," she kissed the smudge of chocolate from his latest bite off the corner of his mouth.

He took the opportunity to lean in with his lips pressed to her ear, "Okay, catch ya later, love."

Patricia ducked away from his closeness, her brain trying to stop the objection from reaching her tongue. It wasn't so much the accent that effected her—she had heard it her whole life—but rather, how it sounded in his smooth voice that she would never admit out loud she loved.

"Now you're just pushing it, Krueger." she warned, her faux annoyed glance to cover her attraction not quite meeting his eyes.

When he flipped the accent switch back to American she swore this boy would be the death of her, "Is that why you're turning red, Yacker?"

"Oh, shut up and get out of here!" she pushed past her laughing beau.

All turn-ons aside, she was really confused by this thing he called a cracker…which was actually a cookie…but was really what she may have called a biscuit… But despite the unfamiliarity and English differences, at least now she knew what his kisses always tasted like.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Oops that got a little fluffy. Note basically just for keeping the format the same. Reviews appreciated. :)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:** Wincott and Winner-Freston  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

The aquatic center at Wincott Academy had an eerily silence about it as the inhabitants of Anubis House arrived well before the afternoon's meet with the swimmers and Mr. Sweet. On most weekends, only one person had been given a pass out of the house to travel with the team and it was an unwritten rule that you shouldn't try to challenge Patricia for that spot. But this was such a big deal, the rematch for both the school and Anubis House, that everyone had been invited out this week.

Trudy and Victor had opted out of attending, as had Mara and Fabian for academic commitments. The remainder of the house were milling about, talking amongst themselves and scoping out the best seats in the place. Despite how much nicer it was compared to theirs, just the idea of whom the sterile whitewashed building belonged to was enough to make them find fault in everything about it.

Patricia had taken up a temporary spot with Joy in the corner of the bleachers nearest the locker room. It amused her long time friend just how quickly the redhead had abandoned her mid-sentence as soon as the team started to file in…she figured she really did have it bad.

What Joy didn't know was that the couple had a very strict routine they went though every meet.

Eddie didn't want quiet or to get in a zone, he didn't want to focus on what was to come. He needed to be distracted…and not just by anyone. He wanted to hear _her_ voice. Their designated spot was at the very top midpoint of the bleachers in whatever school they were at just to make conversation. They found early on that doing so helped to calm both of their nerves.

But their talk hadn't seemed to be helping Eddie this week…she could feel the tension between them and he was visibly shaken. She decided it was the perfect chance to bring up the release date for the album they had both been looking forward to.

That had kept him talking, but time flew with little improvement. People began to arrive and move quietly to what appeared to be their usual seats. The rows nearest to their section were starting to get more crowded and they took that as a sign they should both head to their respective places.

Eddie stretched his legs and stood up first, suddenly quiet and closed off to her.

"Just relax. They aren't as awesome as they seem, remember? They _cheated_ to get their reputation… You'll do great!"

Eddie sighed wrapping her in a tight but distracted hug that any other time she might have tried to fight her way out of.

"Maybe…"

* * *

Following a round of crude remarks from Jerome, Patricia found Eddie trying to shake out his nerves and she let out a sigh. Bringing the whole house had only seemed to put more pressure on him for this already escalated race. She was sure that he meant well, but it wasn't one of Mr. Sweet's better ideas…Eddie was _never_ this nervous.

From their seats she could also see that the boy in the second lane had approached Eddie's starting block. She wished she could hear what he came over to say…and have him slap Eddie upside his head for her and tell him get a grip.

"Hey dude, good luck," the kid extended a hand.

"Yeah man, you too," he accepted the bro five and audibly exhaled.

"Pressures on, huh?" Eddie only raised his eyebrows in return. "I hear ya, same here."

"Man the best man win?" The kid laughed at the way his voice came out strained and slightly hoarse.

"Just swim your best race, that's all I ever do. You can only do so much, right?…"

This settled him slightly, both boys adjusting their eye wear and taking their marks.

At the signal they splashed in simultaneously, the harsh crash of water immediately clearing Eddie's head. He had taken the early lead against his new friend thanks to his greater height increasing the length of his dive. He heard and felt nothing, the only thought on his mind was to beat his own personal best.

For the most part, he couldn't even feel the disruption of the water in the lane next to him. But near the last of his race Eddie could feel his opponent gaining on him and tried to increase his speed. Soon they were side by side and he knew that the entire race came down to this last turn.

He put all of his strength into pushing off the wall genuinely not knowing where his competition was. He didn't even know what place he held in the pool. For all Eddie knew, they were battling to not come in last.

Soon all the doubts he had for this race began to creep their way back in.

* * *

Patricia caught up with a disappointed yet strangely satisfied Eddie after the race. The rest of their housemates hung back at first to give them some space. This was after all _their_ thing.

Eddie was recapping the pre-race encounter to her when someone caught her eye over his shoulder and she gasped, "_You_!"

Eddie flinched at her tone and she could hear the others from the house crowding behind her at her outburst. Eddie stepped around to her side to see who was approaching that had gotten everyone in such a tizzy.

None other than Giles Winner-Freston stood before them, an arm around his younger brother's neck. His smile appeared to be permanently etched onto his face. It was like a nightmarish flashback to them when he winked in Amber's direction.

"Well, now _everything_ makes sense," Patricia scoffed to the scowling blonde before stepping towards their nemesis. "You _little rat_! You probably cheated again!"

Giles laughed, grasping his brother's first place medal with his free hand and tossing a smug look up to Eddie.

"Have to have a _girl_ fight your battles for you too, Miller? Is that how you're used to doing it in America?"

A slight burn tinged at his face, "_Patricia_!" Eddie grit, glaring to her out of the corners of his eyes, but his face neutralized again before he extended a hand out to his new friend.

The eldest Winner-Freston laughed off the gesture not expecting his younger brother would shrug out of his hold to accept it.

"Great job, man. You're the real deal," Eddie conceded.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, man. I barely caught you back there."

"What, that's _it_?" "You're really not gonna question this?!" "Oh, get a room already!" came a few more impassioned objections from Anubis House all at once…none of which, Patricia noted, had earned the reprimanding from Eddie that she had gotten. She fought off the mix of betrayal and hurt and ducked out through the group's frenzy to head back to the bus.

The two schools traded more pleasantries and dirty looks before they had to part ways. Giles trailed his younger brother off in the other direction and tried to play off the cold shoulder he had received from him.

Eddie turned around to find a group of smiles.

"It's okay, guys…you don't have to pretend like you're not disappointed," he encouraged as he accepted handshakes, hugs, and slaps on the back.

"Are you _kidding_? You just _humiliated_ Winner-Freston without uttering a word to him! Serious mind games at work there, Miller; I'm impressed!" Eddie smirked at Jerome's need for everything to have an underlying sinister motive as Alfie chimed in.

"Yeah dude, I'm sure you gave him a good scare as well. It was a great race."

He barely nodded his thanks before his attention was pulled away yet again to the opposite end of the group.

"_Not to mention_ you looked the most fab out of all the boys. Anubis _most definitely_ won the fittest award."

A cocky smirk curled onto his face at Amber's confession before Joy laughed a teasing scold at her.

"You'd better not let—" but she didn't even have to finish the sentence for Eddie's ego boost to come to a screeching and crashing halt as he cut her off.

"Wait. _Where is Yacker_?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Ten chapters, whoop whoop! I hope you all are voting for the show. Review if you want the follow up chapter to this next instead of waiting further down the scrambled order. You also might get it pretty soon, if you do want it next. ;)  
_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:** Implied and Intertwined (A follow-up to Chapter 10)  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

Patricia was slumped down in her seat on the bus, hidden away from first glance. Her headphones were pulled off of one ear in effort to hear when Eddie was approaching… And she knew he would be eventually; he would see that she went missing after he had finished letting everyone else kiss up to him. Or then again, maybe he wouldn't…maybe someone else would have to point it out to him… She didn't really know for sure anymore.

His footsteps stomped up the stairs and she crouched even lower, turning the volume down on her music on the off chance it was audible inside the bus. He was out of breath and she couldn't see but he ran his hand back through his hair before he breathed out a sigh.

"Come on, Patricia! _Where are you_," he half wheezed half growled under his breath.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pretzeled herself into a tighter ball hoping it would allow her to disappear all together when he began to advance down the aisle looking through the rows of seats. When he got to the place where they had sat on the drive in and plopped down, his hands immediately hitting the back of his head.

Patricia choked back a laugh at the frustrated groan that he let out with his elbows rested on his knees.

She apparently hadn't stifled it enough as Eddie's attention was drawn towards the back of the bus. He spotted a purse strap barely dangling off the seat a handful of rows back and a relieved smile spilled across his face.

She frowned as his footsteps resumed and picked up speed as they neared…the gig was up, she knew had been caught.

"_There_ you are!" Eddie snatched the purse off the seat and added it to the pile of his own things in his lap as he sat down beside her. His breathing had stabled from his mad search across campus, "Why did you take off back there, Yacker?"

She could feel his eyes boring down on her…worried, questioning, anticipating but she refused to look his way. She would have preferred not to speak to him at all, but with the long drive back and their close quarters with each other it was inevitable.

She knew herself better than that and clearly, so did he.

"Yacker?"

She inhaled a deep breath, her words terse as to not encourage the conversation to move forward, "Just taking my timeout."

He gave a confused smile, "Wh— I don't?…"

"Oh, is that not what you wanted me to do?" She sat up to give her legs a much needed stretch and ignored his blatant bewilderment as she reclaimed her purse from his lap, still strategically avoiding his eyes. "Could've fooled me…"

He noted her eyebrow flick and taut lips, "Heh, did I…say something…wrong, Patricia?"

She shrugged her shoulders up to her neck and slammed them back down after a dramatic pause.

"Dunno…_did you_?"

He huffed, biting a lip and then smacking it back in place unable to keep from bursting out, "Okay, cut the crap, Yacker, alright! Stop acting like a two year old and _tell me_ what's wrong!"

Patricia tore her headphones down to her neck and snapped her head to look him in the eye for the first time. Fire met with fire and the air in the vehicle grew thick with tension.

"I'll stop _acting_ like one when you decide to stop _treating_ me like one! Don't know if you've forgotten, but I didn't want any part of this, remember? But I keep coming to these stupid things for you and trying to help you out and be supportive but you just ignore my effort most of the time."

He tried to interject but she didn't give him the chance.

"I _defended_ you back there and you called me down like a dog. But what did you say to the others when they did the same thing?" He rolled his eyes at her feigned thoughtful pose. "…Oh, that's right. _Nothing_. Did you even notice that I was gone or did someone have to tell you? It's funny isn't it…everyone else shows up for _one_ meet and suddenly they're you're biggest fans. Well why didn't you just tell me to stay home if you wanted them there that badly?"

He sighed at her scoff, "You done?"

"Maybe!" she snarled.

There was a beat of heavy silence only to be broken when Eddie was certain she wouldn't be the one to do it.

"That's so bogus, Patricia!"

"_Wha_—!"

"You _know_ I want you here with me. And since when are you the type to want attention anyway? I think you're just jealous and blowing things out of proportion here. You're just not used to sharing me on the weekends. It'll be different next week, okay?"

If he caught the disappointment that flicked through her eyes he showed no signs. It wasn't just about this week for her.

"Yep. That's it. You're right."

"Good!" he breathed, happy to have ironed it all out.

But when she was quick to put her headphones back in place he knew she didn't think he was right.

Heck, after reconsidering her words, he wasn't so sure that _he_ thought he was right either.

The students filing onto the bus that hadn't heard a word of anything only had to take one look at the display before them to know Eddie had said something to set Patricia off. A few puzzled looks from Anubis House caught his eye in particular. They were the final vote to make it unanimous as he closed his eyes to prepare himself to man up…_he was wrong_.

"Patricia?… _Yacker_?…"

She craned her head farther away from him, not swayed by the slight strain in his voice. Her stare was fixed out the window of the bus and she was mentally willing the landscape to start moving _now_—with or without everyone on board.

She was more successful at sustaining the gasp from hitting her lips than she had been with her laughter but they both felt her tense up when he threaded his fingers into hers. And then she felt his eyes on her again desperate and apologetic, but she ignored it.

Eddie eventually wrestled his own headphones off his neck and back into place with one hand. He sighed in defeat for the second time that day, his head hitting its rest on the seat as he mumbled out, "Eddie, you idiot! I'm _sorry_, Yacker."

Their hands remained intertwined. Eddie needed to feel her close to him. Patricia refused to clue him in that he had an affect on her by pulling away or reacting to the apology she had, unbeknownst to him, actually heard.

Half-way home and still stubborn, she felt his hand start to slack in hers and chanced a look up at him. Her neck was stiff from being strained in one position anyway…or at least that was her excuse for when he was to ask her about it.

To her relief, she found that she need not worry about any questions that may have been there to greet her. Eddie had apparently fallen asleep somewhere along the road; his eyebrows were knitted together even in his slumber as if he had anticipated her to speak up and had been ready for more confrontation. The main thing she took away from his tense face was the fact that he hadn't given up on her, even if that meant it wasn't going to end well for him. That realization caused an unfamiliar feeling to spread within her from the pit of her stomach.

She grinned lightly whispering fondly to him under her breath, "Stupid Slimeball…you know I don't do emotions. Just give it up already…"

After giving her neck a decent stretch she let her head fall back into the position it had been trained to sit. She curled his arm in closer to her, flipping it over so that her's rested on top of his.

Eddie stirred enough to find the change of pace and feel her thumb stroking up and down the side of his palm. Once oriented back to his surroundings he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up straighter in his seat, ready to hear what—if anything—she was wanting to say to him.

But to his surprise, he found her exactly as she had been when he had started drifting off. It was if she hadn't moved a muscle the entire time he was out. He may have been discouraged by this revelation had her thumb not resumed its steady rhythm next to his after he had settled himself back in for the rest of the drive.

In Patricia speak, that was as good as anything. It implied that all was forgiven between them, and while it would be nice to hear in her whiny British yack, he knew her well enough to know that he wasn't ever going to get verbal confirmation of it. And surprisingly, with Patricia, he found himself needing less of what he wanted and more of what she felt comfortable with.

And maybe that just meant they were intertwined beyond a stubborn standoff in the form of a hand hold in a charter bus. Maybe, he thought, it implied a deeper connection between them. One that he was perfectly okay with fighting for, if that's what she needed.

Eddie brought their hands up to kiss her thumb in acknowledgment, letting her curl them back to her although it wasn't the most pleasant of positions for him. His eyes fell shut with ease once more and he snuggled back into his seat. When his hand slacked again, she squeezed it tighter.

Patricia wasn't going to let him go.

* * *

**A/N:** _Sorry for the delay! __I'm going to stop promising chapters for certain times because something always ends up happening with me that prevents me from finishing or posting them. But thank you so much for liking this story and I hope you like this chapter too. Sibuna!  
_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:** Notes and Negatives  
**Rating:** K+  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

It was all very suspicious, Patricia making herself scarce around school save for the few classes she and Eddie shared together. It was almost as if she had skipped out on the first chunk of the day altogether but he knew better than that. They had had breakfast with the rest of the house that morning and he had watched her run off towards school with a mischievous raise of the eyebrow and the killer smirk he had come to think was more vital to his life than air itself.

When he had finally made it over—it was a personal rule of his to _never_ set foot in school before he had to—he had found two new photos taped up inside his locker confirming her presence in the building. Eddie took a sly look around him before snatching the kiss photo off the blue metal with a smirk and slipping it into his bag to find new residence in his room… The other could stay as a proud display of his affection, but it was hard enough to focus on school as it was without constantly being reminded of how her lips tasted against his.

The few hours that had followed that discovery were relatively uneventful and boring until between third and fourth period when he had received more insight into what Patricia was really up to in the form of an envelope with her heavy handed penmanship across the front of it.

_**FOR A SPECIAL SLIMEBALL…**_

He smirked briefly, just the sight of the small piece of her enough to trigger countless emotions. It was sappy, he thought, that he missed her no longer than they had been apart today.

But with one shake of the package he knew what was waiting for him and he knew without a doubt that she had used this tactic to avoid the confrontation and emotions she liked to think she didn't have. Patricia wasn't being romantic or spontaneous at all and suddenly he wanted no part of this…not today.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an ink pen, scribbling over her handwriting and scrawling his own beneath it.

**STOP BREAKING INTO MY LOCKER, YACKER.**

She would be back to check on it, he knew she would be. What he didn't know was when or how she managed to accomplish it.

Art class came and went next without Patricia meeting the weird questioning faces he was making at her from across the room. They had accidentally brushed shoulders once in the hall after that as she ran past him as best she could in her baddest boots. His note back to her sat untouched after both incidents.

He was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't coming back after all but a new envelope had appeared in front of the first some time during his last class to be discovered after school.

**_STOP BEING SUCH A DOOFUS AND OPEN THEM._  
**

He rolled his eyes but surrendered the fight, swooping the envelopes out of his locker, intrigued enough that there were now two of them and slipped them into his bag to place his text books in their spot.

He would open them later; right now, he had a practice to get to. He had to face his team and coach eventually. But it wasn't like he had missed the meet on purpose. None of them knew about his morning activities that day, but with or without Patricia he would have forgotten.

* * *

Eddie let out a heavy exhale as he flopped back onto his bed. He was just about to get comfortable when Patrica startled him by bursting into his room.

"Eddie, hey! Did you get my envelopes?"

He rubbed his hands down his face at being reminded of their existence but didn't budge any farther, "…Yeah, I did."

"_And_?…"

"And…nothing. Haven't opened them yet."

"_Ohhh_. Well then I've to get to—" she tried for the door as he sat up.

"Yacker, wait. Have a seat and I'll open them right now."

She sighed. The whole point of sneaking around all day was so that she could avoid this and she knew that he was somehow aware of that and was doing this deliberately. "Okay…_fine_."

"You know, our little escapade the other morning cost me three detentions and another forfeit this weekend…"

She sat down beside him as he began to open the first envelope, "Hey! Don't try to pin that one on me, Krueger…"

He smirked at her teasing tone, "I probably should…maybe then my dad would be less disappointed in me. I'm sure he's embarrassed that he had to beg Coach to cut his own son some slack…" He pulled out the photo of said father and himself posing for Patricia's camera and gave it a hard look. "…I knew that's what this was," he mumbled. It seemed like ages ago now that he had worn that first place metal. How quickly things could change…

"It was _one_ race. I'm _sure_ he doesn't think that. I've known Sweetie a long time and he's been much happier with you here…"

Eddie braced himself for the snark or the punchline, but for once neither came. He met her eyes and found them to be open and loving. He'd only ever seen her like this maybe twice before. She handed him the second envelope and he tore into it having thought he had already gotten the worst out of the way first.

"Yeah, but… Being happy to have me here is a lot different than being proud of me, Yacker. _Nothing_ I've done here has made him—"

He stopped mid-sentence as he pulled out another photo of he and his dad. This one wasn't staged nor was he prepared for it.

"Are you _sure_ about that?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Hi, guys. Hopefully I won't get too behind with this story as I've started another multi-chap called Facade. I'm really excited to get into that one, so I hope you'll check it out as well and enjoy the ride with me. Things are about to get real in the Sweet family in that story and that's all I can say about that. AND, Thanks so much for the 100 reviews here. That's so cool! Sibuna._


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